


This is us

by feminabeata



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: Beach Vacation, Domestic, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, SO MUCH FLUFF, too much fluff even for me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 16:28:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13127472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feminabeata/pseuds/feminabeata
Summary: Woohyun and Myungsoo have been together for years, but they are recently learning what it means to live together, whether they are sharing an apartment or a beach house.(a.k.a. Woosoo go to the beach and cuddle a lot)





	This is us

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bluelilly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluelilly/gifts).



> Prompt: woosoo beach vacation. THAT WAS IT! 
> 
> This story isn't very Christmas-related at all, but it's all fluff! I hope this make you feel the spirit of the season (LOVE). I also didn't edit this, so I'm sorry if anything is confusing. I tried to give them newlywed feelings without being wed.
> 
> And to bluelilly, thanks so much for being such an amazing friend for all of these years. I hope that this story lifts your spirits and makes you happy.

Living together wasn’t like Woohyun expected it would be. It wasn’t worse nor better than he expected. It was just different. Woohyun thought that the nights when he ate alone were long gone, and he’d always go to bed at the same time as Myungsoo and wake up with him too. But occasionally, when one of them had a company dinner or other engagements, the other would eat alone. Recently, Woohyun had been so busy with a project at work that he’d been skipping dinner altogether and slipping into their bed in the wee hours of the morning. Sometimes, Myungsoo felt the bed shift and roll over to ask (with his eyes still shut) “You home?” The answer was obvious, but it was still nice to be asked.

But there were also pleasant things that Woohyun hadn’t imagined would happen while living with Myungsoo. Woohyun thought he knew almost all there was to his boyfriend, but he was learning new things every day, like how Myungsoo went about his mornings or how Myungsoo didn’t mind if they had to share the bathroom (they were already on the path of sharing their lives together, so what did it matter if Woohyun went to the bathroom while Myungsoo washed his face).  As a result, Woohyun fell a bit more in love every day.

And then there was that face Myungsoo made when they saw each other after work every day. He looked relieved, content, and today he looked exceptionally happy because today was their last day before vacation. Woohyun found Myungsoo in the bedroom, kneeling in front of his suitcase, already packing. “Oh you’re here!” Myungsoo exclaimed. He finished folding up his shirt and laid it in the suitcase before standing up and greeting the other properly, with a hug and a quick peck.

“You didn’t hear me come in?” Woohyun asked when they parted.

“No,” Myungsoo answered. He then gestured over to the suitcase. “I was packing.”  

Woohyun gave him a tight-lipped smile and sighed. He knew how Myungsoo got when he was doing a task. Myungsoo gave it his full attention, persevering right through until the end. It didn’t matter if that task was important like a report for work or completing a level in a game; Myungsoo would ignore everything until he saw it through to the end. Luckily for Woohyun, this seemed to apply to relationships too. Woohyun rarely felt like Myungsoo wasn’t wholly devoted to him.

Also luckily for Woohyun, he seemed to have the ability to penetrate Myungsoo’s bubble of concentration sometimes, as is evidence by Myungsoo giving him a proper welcome when he came in. Had it been anyone else, Myungsoo probably would’ve not even gotten up and just said “hello.”

But most of all Woohyun was lucky because he wasn’t very good at packing. He’d always forgets the little things, like his passport. But Myungsoo remembered it all. And for big trips, like the one that they were taking, Myungsoo would make a list. In fact, Myungsoo had picked up that list from their bed and was reading it now.

Woohyun walked over. “Let me see that,” he said as he hooked his chin over Myungsoo’s shoulder. Myungsoo chuckled and raised it up for the other to read. Woohyun perked up. “Oh, it looks like you’re missing some things?”

“Oh,” Myungsoo muttered and brought the list back down, reading it intently. He was still looking down at it as he turned around towards the other. “What did I miss?”

“Ramyun.”

“Ramyun?” Myungsoo repeated, and he finally looked up from the list but he still had the same confused expression on his face.

“Eung,” Woohyun hummed with a nod. “Ramyun. What if we get a craving for it in the middle of the night?”

“True,” Myungsoo admitted and grinned. “Let’s throw that in too.” He then reached for Woohyun’s hand, grabbed it, and pulled the other down with him to sit in front of the suitcase. “Come on. Let’s pack!”

And then they did, for a while. But then Myungsoo became very focused on packing, including going over to Woohyun’s suitcase and refolding things to make room for the ramyun and other things that Woohyun suggested that they should bring. He still giggled at the jokes Woohyun would make, but Myungsoo’s eyes were still on the suitcases. Eventually Woohyun entrusted the task completely to him. Myungsoo would do a better job of it, without a doubt. Woohyun sighed and patted the other’s back as he stood up to leave the bedroom. There were other things he needed to take care of before they left.

Woohyun went into the kitchen and opened in their friends, letting out a groan as his eyes scanned its contents. It was time to clean it out and get rid of the things that would go bad once they were gone. And the best way to do that was to cook them. Woohyun pulled out several containers to make, well, he wasn’t sure yet, but it probably was going to be some sort of friend rice and stew. And while he was making their dinner, Myungsoo slunk out of the bedroom, finally finished with packing. He easily found Woohyun in the kitchen and didn’t so much back hug him as he just flopped onto Woohyun’s back. Woohyun could feel him melding over his back. He chuckled, which caused Myungsoo to shift and readjust more comfortably. Myungsoo did look tired once he walked in. The day finally had taken its toll on him, and a hungry Myungsoo was a tired one. Yes, Woohyun made the right choice to start making them dinner.

“Ah, I’m hungry,” Myungsoo muttered as he nuzzled into the other’s back.

“I got you covered,” Woohyun spoke back, lowly. For some reason, he didn’t want to interrupt the quietness of the moment. The food on the stove was sizzling louder than he spoke.

“Hmm,” Myungsoo hummed as he lifted his head, placing his cheek next to the others. “How did you know that I was hungry?” he asked.

Woohyun chuckled again. “I didn’t,” he admitted. “I was just hungry too. Watch out!” He spoke a bit louder than he had been, and Myungsoo pulled back as Woohyun tossed the rice in the pan. But when he put the pan back down, Myungsoo removed his arms from him. Woohyun glanced back at him. Myungsoo was stepping away from him with a sly smile.

“Wait,” Myungsoo said. “There’s something else we need to finish off.” He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of white wine (that they’d opened the night before).  He showed it to the other before pulling out two wine glasses from their cupboard and pouring them glasses. When he was done, he handed a glass over to Woohyun and clinked his own glass against the other’s. “To vacation.”

Woohyun smiled. “To vacation.” And he could barely wait for it to start.

* * *

But they would have to wait just a little bit longer.

The following morning, it was cold and it was raining. Myungsoo was glad that in a few hours he’d escape all of this. In a few hours, he’d have his toes in the sand with miles of blue water in front of him. Myungsoo had that in mind as he was being soaked through by the pouring rain. He hurried to get out of the rain and to hold open the door for Woohyun, who (once Myungsoo turned around and finally got a good look at him) was somehow more drenched than Myungsoo was. The younger laughed as Woohyun walked past him.

“What’s so funny?” Woohyun asked with a sniff.

“Nothing,” Myungsoo answered, still laughing, and followed the other inside. He was about to put his hand on the other’s shoulder, but then he noticed that Woohyun stopped and was staring up at the flight information board. Myungsoo looked up too. “Oh!” His jaw went slack. Almost all of the flights had been delayed. A few were even cancelled. Myungsoo shut his mouth and gulped. They might not be able to escape the rain today.

“It’s delayed an hour,” Woohyun revealed.

“Do you think it’ll be canceled?” Myungsoo asked.

Woohyun shifted his bag from one hand to the other and hummed in thought with his eyes still on the board. “It’s hard to say,” he finally answered and chuckled a little.

Myungsoo rubbed the back of his neck, while his mind was racing as to what to do now. “Well, we could still check in now and then…” his thought stopped there.

“And then, let’s start our vacation,” Woohyun filled in the blank. Myungsoo raised his head up to look at him, but the only answer that he got from the other was a toothy grin. Woohyun reached down and grabbed his hand. “Let’s go!”

After checking in, they went to grab lunch at one of the restaurants inside of the airport and also started drinking. It relaxed Myungsoo. The possibility of their flight being cancelled made him tenser than he’d like to admit. He wasn’t good when it came to changing plans on the fly. When he had his mind set on doing something, it’s hard for him to get off that track. But Woohyun, on the other hand, adapted to change more easily and could think quickly on his feet. So here they were, sitting at an airport bar, already watching the movie that they selected for the plane-ride on Woohyun’s phone, which meant they had to huddle close together to watch. Neither of them minded the tiny screen, and Myungsoo quite enjoyed it. The drinks made him feel warm. And whenever they laughed, which was often because it was a comedy, they’d knock into each other, and by the end of the movie, they were practically laying on top of the bar and over each other. The plane was about to board when they were finished.

It wasn’t how Myungsoo thought they’d start the vacation, but he liked it better, even if it meant getting to their tropical island paradise a bit later. It was unexpected, and after being with Woohyun for years, Myungsoo came to like the unexpected.

* * *

They spent most of the flight napping or chatting, or doing both at the same time. Myungsoo couldn’t really recall what they talked about, probably what happened at work this week or silly stories from their childhood or maybe nothing of substance at all. But it made time fly by quickly, and they landed before Myungsoo was ready for it and he jolted in his seat. He could hear Woohyun laughing at him, but chose to ignore it. After all he’d laughed at the elder earlier, when Woohyun was rain-soaked. Laughter tends to slip out when you find an action cute, when you get giddy. So Myungsoo couldn’t be upset. The both of them still had this knee-jerk reaction even after years of knowing each other and being very familiar with each other’s actions and habits.

And wasn’t that just nice?

So Myungsoo was smiling to himself as he sat up straight again and unbuckled his seatbelt. It was really those little moments that made Myungsoo happy: watching a movie on a phone, talking for hours about nothing, laughing at how endearing each other could be like a new couple, and packing together. And it was those little moments that Woohyun excelled at. These moments made Myungsoo feel more than just a significant other, but more like a significant part of Woohyun’s life. And Woohyun was a great part of his.

Woohyun wasn’t his first love, but this was the longest relationship that Myungsoo ever had by far, five years together and still counting. Now they were more than just long-term boyfriends; they lived together, which was new and a _big_ change. Myungsoo was the one to suggest moving in together, officially, instead of splitting time between apartments. It just felt like it was time. His lease was up, and Woohyun’s would be too soon after his. In fact, it felt like they had been putting it off. They’d been talking around it for a year, but never really talked about it, until Myungsoo did late one night before leaving for Woohyun’s old apartment for his own.

“I want to stop doing this,” Myungsoo blurted out. And Woohyun looked like his heart stopped when he said that. “I mean, I don’t want to keep going back to my place.”

Woohyun let out a sigh of relief. “Myungsoo, you can always stay the night here,” he offered.

“I know,” Myungsoo replied and hung his head. And he had stayed the night, several, several times. But he’d either planned on doing so and packed an overnight bag or he’d set an alarm early in the morning (to go home and get changed before work) and leave as quietly as he could as to not wake up the other. But Woohyun always stirred awake. It made Myungsoo feel guilty when Woohyun would look up at him with those tired eyes and ask “Are you leaving already?” Every time he fought down the urge to say ‘no,’ swallow it, and nod ‘yes.’ He was tired of leaving, of just staying the night, and he was dead tired of Woohyun leaving his apartment too.

“I just,” Myungsoo started again but paused to collect his thoughts for a second or two more. He hadn’t planned on bringing this up that night, but he’d planned on talking about it soon. He just didn’t know what to say and still didn’t know. So he just spoke from the heart: “I’m just tired of going back home and not having you there. It…doesn’t feel much like home…anymore.”

“I’m sorry?” Woohyun often said that when he didn’t know what to say. And honestly, it could be slightly irritating sometimes, how easily he accepted blame or found reasons to blame himself.

Myungsoo shook his head. “No, I want us to move in together.”

“Oh,” Woohyun murmured. Myungsoo looked up and the other was smiling. “Okay, let’s do it.”

“Really?” Honestly Myungsoo thought it would take more convincing because of how much they both avoided the topic, but it seemed like Woohyun was waiting to be asked.

This wasn’t the first time that Woohyun let Myungsoo set the pace in their relationship. Myungsoo was the one who held the other’s hand first, initiated their first kiss, and more. It could’ve been out of consideration because Myungsoo liked to take things slower and cherish them. But it also could be that Woohyun was more timid than his cocky façade made one believe. Either way, Myungsoo liked to be the one to set the pace at times, like right now. Woohyun was matching Myungsoo’s excited steps as they darted through the airport. Both of them were eager to really begin their vacation and to soak the warm rays of the sun.

However, that was delayed for them as well. It seemed like they brought the rain with them.

“What now?” Woohyun asked. The both of them were staring at the rain falling like they’d stared at the information board earlier that day. “We can’t go to the beach in this weather.” He sighed. “It looks like we’ll be spending our first day indoors.”

“We don’t have to.”  This time it was Myungsoo who had the sly smile as he walked away from the window and towards baggage claim.

“What do you mean?” Woohyun asked, still rooted by the window.

Myungsoo turned around but kept walking. “You’ll see,” he shouted back to the other. “Come on, let’s go!” He spun back around and picked up his pace. Woohyun soon joined his side and kept asking what Myungsoo had in mind, but the younger would just shake his head, not giving in.

Honestly, Myungsoo’s plan was to stick to the original plan. After getting to and settling into their beach house, Myungsoo grabbed the other by the hand and pulled him outside. They were getting on the beach today, rain or shine. In this case, it was rain, lots of it.

But it was nice. Because of the rain, they were one of the few people crazy enough to venture outside. The beach was basically theirs and theirs alone. And because they were already soaked with rain, they ran into the ocean and played in the waves without worry. That was until they heard thunder in the distance. When they did, they ran back inside of their house.

After cleaning up and drying off, they ended their first day of vacation similar to how they started it: they ate dinner and watched a movie while cuddling on the sofa. Both of them didn’t make it to the end and fell asleep right there. This beach house was as comfortable as their own home to Myungsoo. Was it because Woohyun was by his side in both places?

* * *

The next day went much better. The sun was shining, and it was nice and warm. They went to the beach again, fixed on spending most of the day down there. Woohyun spent much of his time laying out on the beach in a lounge chair, splitting his time between napping or reading the book he brought. But now that book was laying splayed on his stomach as he watched his boyfriend taking pictures of the waves, wildlife, people, shells, sand, everything and anything that caught his eye. The sounds of his shutter (or the shutter-like noise that would slip from Myungsoo’s lips from time to time) was almost as constant as the waves crashing onto the shore or the seagulls squawking. Whereas Myungsoo spent hours with his camera alone, Woohyun did several things. Yes, he mostly napped and read, but he also played in the water, built a “sandcastle,” tried to catch a crab, got pinched by a crab, had Myungsoo kiss his wound better, and then buried his boyfriend’s feet in the sand (who had been standing still trying to capture the perfect photo of a starfish being washed by the waves). Woohyun was having a good time.

Woohyun was also aware that Myungsoo was taking pictures of everything, including himself. They’d already taken a few selcas together. Woohyun posed for the camera several times, while building his castle or showing off his bite from the crab. But Myungsoo preferred to take candid photos. Woohyun knew this, but he’d always been aware of things like this, people’s eyes and the lens of cameras. It was hard for him to be caught completely off guard, even by Myungsoo, with whom he was the most comfortable. Woohyun had caught the other several times during the day trying to take a picture of him. He’d flash a pose for Myungsoo’s camera the last second, and Myungsoo would pout in defeat. It was like a game between them now. And Woohyun always won it.

Or at least he thought he did.

While Myungsoo was showering, Woohyun took his camera and began flipping through his photos. Among the pictures of that Woohyun knew the other had taken, the ones that he posed for, Myungsoo had taken pictures of Woohyun sleeping and other ones, when he genuinely captured the elder candidly. There were ones when Woohyun was distracted, like when he was trying to catch the crab or while he was reading. But there was this one photo that Woohyun stopped at and studied for a while. The photo was of him standing out in the blue water, just staring out into the distance. Woohyun wondered why he hadn’t felt the camera pointed on him at that moment. He normally always did.

He pursed his lips in thought as he flipped to the next photo. It was just like the one before, Woohyun standing in the water. And so was the one after that, and the one after that. Myungsoo must’ve kept clicking when he had the chance. He even took a selca with Woohyun in the background like that. Woohyun smirked to himself. Myungsoo didn’t tease or act cocky often, and when he did, well, Woohyun found it entertaining. With that half-smile on his face, he put the camera back down and turned around to find a freshly showered Myungsoo staring at him. Woohyun yelped while clenching his chest, “Oh my gosh! I didn’t know you were there!”

Myungsoo smiled smugly once more, like he did in that selca, and removed the towel from his head. “Did you see anything you liked in there?” he asked, nodding towards the camera.

“Eung,” Woohyun hummed as he regained his composure. He then put on a smile just as smug as the other’s. “You.” At that, Myungsoo sputtered, still getting shy at sweet words like that. Woohyun laughed while grabbing the other by the shoulder. “Come on, let’s make dinner.”

What Woohyun really saw that he liked in those photos was that now noticed how he was able to completely let his guard down around Myungsoo. Around him, Woohyun was truly candid.

* * *

Woohyun couldn’t remember the last time they cooked a meal together. Either he’d do it, or Myungsoo would. He honestly thought they would have more time to do things like that. That cooking together would make life easier. But it didn’t end up being that way. In fact, if the two of them cooked like they did that night, it would take twice as long because they were too busy joking around and dancing to the music playing to actually cook. Luckily they were just grilling meat, so there wasn’t much work to do. But there was a lot of eating to do. They made too much food. And after stuffing one last lettuce wrap into each other’s mouths, they announced that dinner was over and went out on the porch with a bottle of white wine and let the ocean sounds be their music for the rest of the evening.

While they were laying in lounge chairs closely next to each other and watching the waves crash onto the shore, it sort of lulled Woohyun into a trance. He then felt a hand slink down his arm and hold onto his hand. Woohyun looked over and watched Myungsoo pull his hand over into his lap.

“What are you thinking about?” Myungsoo asked him.

“This and that,” Woohyun replied, giving a non-answer. To be honest, he wasn’t really thinking of anything, not until Myungsoo held his hand. Now all that was on his mind was this: “Do you remember how we first met?”

“Eung,” Myungsoo hummed while looking down at their hands, rapping his fingers against the back of the other’s hand. He then raised his head, grinning. “At the library. You were looking at me from behind the shelves,” he poked fun at the other.

Woohyun frowned and tore his gaze away. Sure, he might have snuck a glance or two at the other when they both happened to be at the University’s library. But it wasn’t like he’d never caught Myungsoo looking back at him. Back then, they both were _aware_ of each other’s gazes, curious about one another, but they still didn’t _know_ each other.

Woohyun sighed. “That’s not how I remember it,” he mumbled.

“It’s what I remember,” Myungsoo retorted. “What do _you_ remember?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Woohyun tried to dismiss the matter, and Myungsoo chuckled because Woohyun didn’t even bother to deny that he used to sneak glances at him in between the shelves. Woohyun squeezed the other’s hand, trying to get him to stop, and continued, “That wasn’t how we first met anyway. When we first talked to each other. That’s meeting someone for the first time.”

“Oh, when was that?” Myungsoo asked with an embarrassed laugh. And Woohyun knew that laugh very well and what it meant.

“You don’t? You don’t remember? Ah!” Woohyun was pretending to be hurt.

Myungsoo wrapped his other hand around Woohyun’s, bringing it closer to him. “I can’t seem to…right now,” he admitted lowly.

Woohyun leaned over and whispered into his ear, “The college festival.”

“Oh right!” Myungsoo exclaimed. He let go of the other and flipped onto his side on the chair so that he could face the other better and Woohyun did too. “You were the MC of that contest and I…” his voice drifted off and his eyes grew wide when he recalled what exactly he did do.

So Woohyun filled in the blank, “…did that thing with the nunchaku.” He then started to mimic what Myungsoo did all of those years ago with invisible nunchaku, complete with sound effects. Myungsoo couldn’t even watch. He groaned, covered his eyes and fell onto Woohyun, burying his face in the other, which also got Woohyun to stop mimicking him. Instead, Woohyun moved to accommodate the other, laughing while he wrapped his arm around him.

Myungsoo burrowed even more when he did. “There’s still that video on the internet,” his voice was muffled.

Woohyun traced the other’s back, up and down, with the tips of his fingers. “I know. I used to watch it sometimes when I felt sad,” he spoke softly. He didn’t know why, probably because the other was so close, so close that all Woohyun could see were the reddening tips of the younger’s ears. And Woohyun could feel himself get hot too. He’d just admitted to watching that video, and he watched it a lot, before him and Myungsoo had gotten serious. He was admitting to a lot of things tonight. His guard had completely fallen, allowing Myungsoo (to physically and spiritually) burrow into him. Myungsoo was the only one that Woohyun had ever let get this close.

That was until Myungsoo lifted his head and pulled away a bit from the other. “I thought it was cool,” he defended himself.

“Obviously I did too. I talked to you for the first time after the contest,” Woohyun reminded him.

Myungsoo grinned. “We met.”

“We met,” Woohyun repeated. His eyes were darting all over the other’s face. The reason why he’d brought up all of this was that he’d never thought that the boy he met that day would be like this, or become like this. Back then, Myungsoo seemed diffident and cool. But what Myungsoo really was was spacey and warm, so warm. Woohyun was absent-mindedly stroking Myungsoo’s red ears as he reminisced.

“Do you know when I first fell in love with you?”

“Hm?” That was also unexpected. Where was Myungsoo going with this? Should Woohyun know this? Woohyun tried to cover his surprise with a joke, “It wasn’t at first sight?”

“No!” Myungsoo exclaimed while lightly slapping him. Both of them chuckled again. It wasn’t like that for Woohyun either. It wasn’t love at first sight, maybe attraction, but the _love_ came much, much later.

Myungsoo stopped laughing before the other and settled himself so that their eyes were at the same level now. “It was the morning after a test that I stayed up all night studying for. I woke up, and…” Myungsoo stopped to grin at the memory. He then reached over to brush the other’s hair with his hand. “…you were right next to me. You must’ve snuck in the middle of the night. I had no idea.”

Woohyun felt caught again. “I hadn’t seen you in days,” he mumbled.

“I know,” Myungsoo said, dragging his hand down the other’s cheek before pulling it way and tucking it under his own cheek, still with that smile on his face. “And that’s when I knew.”

“That I loved you?” Woohyun guessed as he shifted in his spot, moving a bit closer to the other.

Myungsoo shook his head. “That I loved _you_ ,” he corrected. He then flipped onto his back again, rubbing his face with his hands. “I just…” he began and then lowered his hands. Woohyun watched the furrows form across his forehead as Myungsoo was searching for how to phrase his thoughts. “I just I thought I was alone, but I wasn’t. And it was nice. It was really nice,” he stammered out and burst into a chuckle afterwards. It was very ineloquent. He didn’t know if it made any sense, so he turned to Woohyun who was nodding along. He understood Myungsoo perfectly. Often in life, we feel like we are struggling alone, and no one ever notices. You feel insignificant, and your hardships seem just as small too. And so when someone acknowledges us in the midst of hardships, it gives you comfort and the strength to move forward. It makes you feel justified. It makes feel like you have a comrade.

And for Myungsoo, it made him realize just how much he cared for Woohyun. That it was love.

And while Woohyun was nodding, he pursed his lips, holding words back. He wasn’t sure of what to say. He wanted to say he loved Myungsoo too back then. After all, it had been a year since they met, a long while after they started dating. Woohyun had come over after work to cheer Myungsoo up because he knew the toll the graduation exam had on him. But when he snuck inside Myungsoo’s apartment, Woohyun was surprised to find the other already fast asleep in his bed. Myungsoo’s phone was also ringing incessantly (that was what led Woohyun to him in the first place). It was an alarm, set when Woohyun’s shift ended. Myungsoo had meant to get up and meet with him, but he couldn’t. He was too exhausted. So Woohyun ended up making the other some Yuja tea and placed it in a thermos on Myungsoo’s nightstand. And then _somehow_ , instead of leaving, Woohyun ended up curled up next to Myungsoo and asleep himself. Did he do all of that because he loved Myungsoo or because he was lonely and missed him? Did he miss Myungsoo because he loved him? Woohyun couldn’t remember, which made him a bit sad. He couldn’t remember the moment he fell in love with the other. And he wished he did.

And while Woohyun was lost in those thoughts, Myungsoo had flipped onto his side again and pulled Woohyun into a tight embrace. “And I still love you,” he told Woohyun. Then he planted a kiss on the elder’s head and tousled his hair.

Woohyun lifted his head, resting his chin on the other’s chest. “I love you too, Myungsoo. I always have,” and that was his answer.

Before they got together, Woohyun felt like he always _could_ love a person like Myungsoo. And then that soon became he _would_ love Myungsoo. And then finally he _did_ love Myungsoo. Woohyun was a strong believer in fate, and so there were never much doubts about this. So that was why he couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment he did fall because he’d been falling in love all along.

Woohyun grinned and gave a quick peck on the other’s lips before rolling off and standing up on his feet. It was warm enough that they could’ve slept outside, but the chairs weren’t comfortable. And if Woohyun stayed there any longer, he would’ve fallen asleep, lured into sleep by the wine and waves. And as long as they were on vacation, Woohyun refused to go to bed alone. So he pulled Myungsoo up from his chair too. Myungsoo let him, chuckling all of the way. Once up, Woohyun clung onto the other’s back and guided him into the bedroom. And halfway there, Myungsoo spun around in his arms, kissed him, and then was the one to pull Woohyun into the bedroom. It seemed like he was tired of going to bed alone too.

* * *

For the most part, they spent the week much like they did that day. They walked hand-in-hand on the beach. Occasionally, they visited shops in town and ate meals there. They cooked often and spent much time just enjoying the scenery and each other. Then one day, they pretended to be strangers and “got to know” each other throughout the rest of the day through “chance run-ins.” Because what were the odds of them running into the same shops, the same stretch of beach, and even the same beach house? “It must be fate,” one of them would say every time. They kept up that charade throughout the whole day even though they were bad at it, constantly slipping out of character several times, revealing how much they really knew about the other, like when Myungsoo handed Woohyun an antacid when the elder was exhibiting tell-tale signs of indigestion. They only stopped when they grew bored of it, which was when they woke up the following morning and Woohyun joked that it was the first time he’d ever spent the night with a stranger. Myungsoo couldn’t even laugh at that joke. It made him feel weird. He wasn’t a one-night stand. He wasn’t the type to have one either. He didn’t like this stranger that he became, so he put an end to this game. And he did it by calling Woohyun “hyung” and asking if he heard from his mother.

Myungsoo wasn’t a stranger. No, he was the person most familiar with Woohyun, and he liked being that.

But even if you know someone really well, even if you love them with your whole heart, things don’t always go smoothly.

It was their last day of vacation. And maybe the both of them were dreading going back to work, or maybe they felt too much pressure to have a good time, or maybe they just had too much togetherness because they spent most of the last day fighting.

And Myungsoo didn’t see it coming. It started during breakfast. Woohyun was disgruntled. He had to ask Myungsoo twice to hand him the salt, and apparently he wasn’t in the mood for it. In fact, Woohyun didn’t seem to be much in the mood for anything. Every time Myungsoo suggested something for them to do, Woohyun would either outright reject it or react unenthusiastically. Myungsoo couldn’t understand why Woohyun seemed upset, but it seemed like it’d been built up over time, without Myungsoo knowing. And then all of the sudden, Woohyun exploded, yelling at Myungsoo in the middle of the streets for stopping for the nth time to take a picture of something that Myungsoo already had hundreds of photos of. And Myungsoo wouldn’t just stand there and take it. He yelled right back, complaining about how diffident and distant Woohyun was being.

“What is it that you want? I can’t tell!”

“You just aren’t listening to me!”

“You aren’t saying anything though! How am I supposed to know if you don’t tell me?”

“I tell you!” Woohyun insisted.

A lovers’ quarrel, right in the middle of the town’s square. Everyone could guess that they were together, and many were watching, judging. But even given that, they couldn’t stop. Neither wanted to back down. Both of them could be stubborn and right now, they were both choosing to be that way. And normally, because they are stubborn, they weren’t the type to quit things and run away, but the both of them ended up storming off, going off in different directions to be alone.

Myungsoo ended up on a pier. He didn’t really know how he got there. He’d just wanted to get away and his feet led him here. He walked until the very edge of it and sat down, with his feet hovering over the water and his face in his hands. He sighed and he groaned again and again, just as often as the water came crashing against the pier. The shame and guilt from fighting with Woohyun in front of complete strangers was washing over him. He shouldn’t have done it. They shouldn’t have done it. But they did, and he couldn’t take that back.

Myungsoo slowly lifted his head from his hands and gazed into the horizon. Clouds were gathering, grey clouds, but it wasn’t going to rain. Myungsoo scooted back a bit so that he could sit with his knees pulled to his chest. And he rest his chin on his knees.

Slowly, he was understanding why Woohyun was upset with him. Myungsoo was click-happy this vacation, taking pictures constantly, especially of Woohyun, of them. Woohyun just wanted him to experience the moment with him, without a lens in the way. Woohyun wanted Myungsoo to see him and everything with his own eyes. But Myungsoo wanted to preserve all of these memories. It was their first time going to a foreign country together. This was their first adventure. In the future (maybe very distant future when they forget this fight ever happened), Woohyun will appreciate these photos and Myungsoo’s diligent effort; just like Woohyun treasures the photos Myungsoo took of them and their memories in college. They would still be together then, in the very distant future; they would get through this. And they’d get through this today. Myungsoo was already missing Woohyun.

And when Myungsoo got up, he looked up at the horizon and the clouds were already dissipating and the sun was shining brightly again.

* * *

Sadly, it was late afternoon until Myungsoo found Woohyun again. The elder had turned off his phone and was intentionally being evasive until he wanted to be found. And when Myungsoo found him, he was returning to the beach house after combing the beach a second time for him, and Woohyun was there on their porch, drinking with a stern expression. Myungsoo sighed. He could practically hear Woohyun’s thoughts as if he were saying them out loud. Woohyun was worrying about them and their future. Myungsoo leaned against the doorframe leading to the porch and shook his head. Woohyun always acted so confidently; he wanted to be confident, especially about them. But Woohyun was plagued with more doubts and anxiety than he’d like to admit. And right now, he was questioning whether he ruined things with Myungsoo, if they could pull through this.

And for Myungsoo, there was no doubt about it. He walked onto the porch and wrapped his arms around Woohyun’s waist. The elder jolted.

“Oh?!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t even know that you were there.”

“Mhmmm,” Myungsoo hummed, hugging him more tightly and noted that Woohyun stiffened. He was still anxious. Myungsoo pressed his cheek against the other so that they were looking at the same thing, looking down the same ‘road’ together. “We were both wrong,” he said first. He wasn’t going to shoulder all of the blame for this. “But, I’m sorry. I get…caught up sometimes. I’m not used to thinking about someone else all the time. I guess, I’m still a little too selfish. But you are too.”

And Woohyun finally relaxed. He removed Myungsoo’s hands from him so that he could turn around face him. “I am, and I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have…yelled at you like that,” he apologized, wincing at the memory. “Especially not in public like that. I embarrassed you.”

“Just a bit, but that’s okay,” Myungsoo replied with a half-smile. “I’m sure that I’ve embarrassed you before too.”

“Sometimes,” Woohyun said as he walked over to one of the lounge chairs and sat down. But he laid down along one of the edges. He then patted the extra space by him, inviting Myungsoo to share the seat with him. And Myungsoo accepted. They had to hold onto each other to stay on, but neither of them minded it. Woohyun chuckled as he rubbed the other’s back. “Sometimes you do embarrass me, like when I have to call your name multiple times to get your attention. Or when I used to wave to you on campus and you used to walk bye at first.”

“Oh, right. Sorry about that,” Myungsoo apologized, smiling widely because… “But I got better at that.” He was already becoming more and more mindful of Woohyun. Now, normally he noticed whenever Woohyun calls his name the first time. Yes, they’d end up just fine.

And Woohyun was realizing that too. His smile was just as great. “Yea you did,” he admitted. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Myungsoo whispered back right before joining their lips together.

And so in spite of the rough day, they ended their vacation calmly, warmly, and very lovingly.

* * *

When they got back to their apartment the next day, Woohyun flopped onto the bed and refused to move for a while. Flying back home had turned out to be just as stressful as flying there. But before Myungsoo joined him, he went into their study. In that room, in a corner by the bookshelf was a cardboard box. It belonged to Myungsoo and it was filled with books that he claimed he couldn’t find room for. But honestly, he didn’t try to make room for them. However now, he was finally going to. He was finally going to rearrange his and Woohyun’s things to make room for them. Why? Because this was the last box. The only box that they hadn’t opened from the move. And so with this box emptied, they would be officially moved-in together. He and Woohyun were sharing their whole lives together now.

After squeezing the last book onto the shelf, Myungsoo grinned at a job well done and went into the bedroom, flopping on the bed as well, half of him on Woohyun and the other half of him on the bed.

Woohyun chuckled and arranged themselves so that they both would be more comfortable. When he was done, they were at the same eye level. And Woohyun’s smile was like Myungsoo’s. It was like Woohyun knew what Myungsoo had been doing. It was as if Woohyun knew exactly how Myungsoo was feeling right now and that he was feeling the same way.

Together they felt eternity.


End file.
